Loose-leaf binder



Dec. 8, 1942. l.. sUPlN LoosE LEAF BINDER original Fiiedvoct. 14, 1938 E xhww mh,

, @wir Patented Dec. 8, 1,942

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER Louis Supin, Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner to Boorllm & Pease Company, Brooklyn, Y., a corpora-Y tion ofA New' York original application october 14, 193s, vserial No.

235,069. Divided and this application September 1s, 1942, serial No. 458,872

3 Claims.

The invention is particularly useful in binders of the kind usually known as shift type visible index prong binders, in which the sheets are led with a top` or bottom edge visible, i. e., in overlapping relation, and in which thev sheets are movedto new positions by oilsetting the prongs, This invention relates to novel improvements in means for locking the shifting mechanism in such loose leaf binders.

rI'his application is a division of application Serial Number 235,069, filed October 14,. 1938.

An object of the invention is to provide means whereby theV prongs may be locked against inadverent shifting. A further object is to prevent closing of the book when the prongs are offset.

The novel shift locking mechanism provides means to automatically lock the shifting mechanism as the book is closed so that even after the book is opened again, the shifting mechanism will stay locked until the operator purposely unlocks it.

The mechanism may further be used to prevent lockifng the shifting mechanism when i-t is in oiset or shifted position, so that when the prongs are inoffset position they can always be shifted. back to normal position.

Other objects and advantages will appear more fully from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms a part of the specification in which:

Figure lv is a composite plan View o f the metal of a binder showing the novel locking. means, the left hand end being shown in partially open unlocked but ncn-oitset position and the right hand end being shown in closed and locked position;

Figure 2 is a side view in elevation of one end of the metal of the binder of Fig. 1, parts being broken away to show details;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the binder of Figs. 1 and 2 with parts being shown in section In the embodiment shown, the binder consists of frame member or halves 50 and 5|, having meeting faces or sides 52 and 53 respectively. Two sets of prongs 55 and 5-6 are rigidly borne by halves or boxes 59 and 5| respectively ofthe metal binding parts, which are hinged together in longitudinally sliding. relation by a hinge pin 54. Hinge lugs 57 on the half 5| are of uniform length and are uniformly spaced while hinge lugs 58 on the other half 59 are shorter than the spaces betweeny the lugs l, and

are spaced farther apart than the length of the lugs 5l, as best shown in Figure 2, with the result that the halves are capable of longitudinal movement relative to each other upon the hinge pin 54.

The two halves, hinged together as above described, are provided with detents 59 slidably retained byany suitable means on one half and cooperating, with binder locking means on. the other for hoi-ding the halves of the binder either ,in closed position, or inpartially open or posting position. One of these detents is shown at 59 as constituting a fin projecting through an elongated slot 62, in the face 52, the, projecting part being shown as having two notches 659 and till, and in Figure 3 the projecting part is shown as being arcuate, concentric with the pintle 51%. The detent extends through a. registering slot 99 in the opposite face 53. As shown in Figure 2 a bracket 'i3 is secured to the detent 59 on the under side of the half 5l) and extends from the detent 59 to agudgeon or sleeve 6| mounted on the hingev pintle 54.

The binder-locking means cooperating with the detent 59 comprises a locking catch or bar t9 which as shown in Figures 1 and 3 is mounted on the underside of the face 53 of the half 5| and there retained in longitudinally slidable re.- lation by any suitable means.. The bar 60 hasI a notch |99- shown in Figure 1.v A tension spring mi normally urges the bar $0 in` a direction to projectl its extending end outward, which brings the notch out of register with slot 99, so that the end of the notch engages. with one of the notches in the detent 59 to hold the halves selectively in half open position when notch B00 is engaged,l or closed position when` notch 60|? is engaged.

In order to insure cooperation between the locking means 69 which is on half 5|, and the detents 59, which are slidingly carried by half and to insure register of the detents 59 With the slots 99, the gudgeons or lugs 6| associated' 5|, with the result that lugs 6| and detents 59 are relatively stationary, that is to say not longitudinally movable, with regard to the opposite side 5|. ln order to permit the sleeve 6| to fit in between adjacent lugs 5T, the shorter lug 58 which would have occurred at this point `is omitted or out away. The slot 99 is longitudinally cojeXtensive with the space between the adjacent lugs 51, so that the sleeve 5| therebetween retains the detent 59 whichv is bracketed thereto, at all times in register with the slot 99. The slot 62 in face 52 is longer than slot 99 in face 53, so that the left ends of the slots register whenk the parts are in normal non-shifted position as shown. in Fig 1, and the right ends register when vthe parts; are shifted with the result that the detent 59 may enter slot 99 in face 53 and engage notch. |09 in bar 6U in either shifted or non-shifted position.

If desired a, spacer 'I8 may be provided on one of the meeting faces, and a slot of equalA length may be carried by the other meeting face,

in such position that the two will register only when the halves are in normal non-offset position.

As illustrated, the novel means for locking the shifting mechanism comprise a shift locking bar Vor stopr 64I, assembled in the binder in suchV relation to the two halves 50 and 5l that'l it moves longitudinally with one of them but is relatively stationary longitudinally in relation to the other half; and a latch 650 which in closed position prevents longitudinal movement of bar 64 I, thereby preventing relative longitudinal movement between half 50 and prongs 55 on the one hand and half 5I and prongs 56 on the other.

The shift locking bar as illustrated has a finger v`H5 and 'a notch 695. The bar may be associated with strip 13 in any suitable way, as lby spot welding, or it may be made unitary with detent 59 as in Fig. 6 of the application bearing Serial No. 235,-

'if desired, a guide Sil for the bar Eii vmay Vbe provided. A

The latch 650 is held upon web Vor top 66 of the half5il by any suitable means. In the drawing it is shown pivoted tothe underside of top 66 by a pin 8l and having a finger piece 610 projecting up through a slot in said top. The latch 6591s provided at one end with a tongue V681), and at the other end with another tongue or lug 82.

In operating the device, starting with the book in closed position, the halves and 5l and-the prongs 55, will be in normal, non-offset position, and the meeting faces 52 and 53 will be adjacent each other as shown at the right end' of Fig. 1. The latch will be closed and the tongue 82 of the latch 653 will lie in notch 690 of the shift locking bar 64I, abutting finger I6 thereof, thus preventing shifting Vof the locking bar and of the prong bearing halves of the binder.

Pressure on the outwardly extending end of bar will cause the bar to release notch 60| of fin 59 and will allow the two halves of the book to swing laterally open selectively either to fully open position where the n 59 is entirely free of bar 60 or to the posting position shown in Figs. 1 and 3, where bar 60 catches notch 600 of the n 59.

, When the book has been opened and the meeting Vfaces 52 and 53 have been moved laterally apart, the prongs will remain locked in normal position until the shift-looking mechanism is manually unlocked by pressure upon button 610 in the direction of the arrow R (see Fig. l) moving latch H to the position shown in Fig. l. In this position tongue 82 tongue 680 has passed through slot lli in the face 52 of half 50 and protrudes between the meeting faces 52 and 53 of the two halves. The halves can Vnow be shifted longitudinally so that the prongs 55 and 56 and the halves of the binder will then be in offset position. If half 5i! be considered Vas moving, that half 50 and its lug 58 as shown in Fig. 2 will have moved toward the right along pin 55 until lug 58 abuts lug 51. The latch 353 will likewise necessarily have moved to the right. Shift lock 64| however will have remained in the position shown in Fig. 2, due to its rigid attachment to sleeve 6I, which is held stationary between lugs 51 of the half 5 I.

In the longitudinally shifted, offset position iinlger 'I6 of the bar 64I will be in lateral alignment with the end 820 Vof tongue 82 of the latch 650.

The abutment of the finger 'IB of the shift has left notch 690 and locking bar against the end 820 of tongue 82 of the latch will prevent closing the latch 650 either by manual pressure upon button 610, or by presdental displacement of sheets through inadver-y tent closing ofthe book when the prongs are in offset position.

Before the book can be closed, the halves must be shifted longitudinally .back to normal, non-offset position as shown at the left end of Fig. 1.

`In this position, the latch 650 can be manually closed, if desired, by pressure upon the button 670 in the direction opposite tof arrow R. Or in the alternative, by closing the book, thus bringing the faces 52 and 53 of the two halves together, the pressure of face 53 abutting against the end of tongue SBU-will automaticallyclose the latch.

From the foregoing description of the operation of the embodiment illustrated, the operation of modifications will be understood by those skilled in the art.

Other embodiments within the scope of the invention will occur to those skilled inthe art.

I claim: i. In a loose leaf binder, a pair of frame mem- Y bers each carrying a set of longitudinally spaced ing flanges pivoted together transversely extending prongs, means pivotallyl connecting said frame members to permit relative longitudinal sliding thereof to shift said prongs in combination with Va shift locking stop member mounted underneath oneV of said frame members in relatively longitudinally slidable relation with respect thereto means movable with said stop member and engaging said pivotal connecting means and a latch pivotally mounted on said frame member and adapted to engage said shift locking stop member when said prongs are in i non-shifted position to prevent shifting thereof while said latch is in engagement therewith;

2. In a loose leaf binder, a pair of frames each having a set of longitudinally spaced transversely extending prongs, said frames having dependfor longitudinal shifting relative to each other, in combination with shift locking means comprising stop means for preventing said longitudinal shifting and a latch means pivoted on an axis parallel to the plane of and spaced from one of said iianges for movement alternately into latched position in engagementwith said stop and alternately into unlatched position clear of said stop.

3. In a loose leaf binder, a pair `of box members each comprising a top and a side, a set of longitudinallyspaced transversely extending prongs secured in rigid relation to each box, means pivotally connecting said sides and permitting relative longitudinal sliding thereof to shift said prongs, in combination with shift locking means comprising a stop for preventing said longitudinal shifting and a latch moveable rela-` tive thereto alternately into latched position in engagement with said stop, and alternately into unlatched position clear of said stop, said stop being longitudinally slidably mounted inside one of the boxes on the side and below the top there- 

